Flattened Giant Millipede Beetle vs Riffle Beetle
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Flattened Giant Millipede Beetle | Riffle Beetle |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Passalus unicornis | Elmis aenea |
| Order | Coleoptera | Coleoptera |
| Family | Passalidae | Elmidae |
| Size | 30-45 mm | 1.5-2.5 mm |
| Habitat | Woodlands | Rivers & Streams |
| Diet | Wood Feeders | Detritivores |
| Regions | Central Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, DRC, Congo) | Europe |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Flattened Giant Millipede Beetle
A large, flattened bess beetle with a shiny black body and a small horn on the head. Adults and larvae live together in rotting logs in a subsocial arrangement. Adults produce sounds by rubbing their hindwings against the abdomen.
Did You Know?
Parents feed their larvae pre-chewed wood and communicate with them using stridulatory sounds, one of the few examples of parental care in beetles.
Riffle Beetle
A tiny, dark beetle that spends its entire adult life underwater clinging to rocks in riffles. It breathes using a plastron, a permanent thin film of air.
Did You Know?
Its plastron air film never needs replenishing, allowing it to remain permanently submerged.